Shipping-crate.



No. 7||,6`64. Patented Oct. 2|, |902.

C. KEMPF & E. & C. BAUR. SHIPPING CRATE.

(Application led Jan. 23, 1902.\

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT Critics.-

CARL KEMPF, EUGEN BAUR, AND CABLBAU-R, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

SHIPPING-CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 711,664, dated October21, 1902.

Application filed January 23, 1902. Serial No. 90,876'. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, CARL KEMP'F, EUGEN BAUR, and CARL BAUR, citizens ofthe United States, residing at'Milwaukee, county of Milwaukee, and Stateof Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Shipping-Orates, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in so-called knockdown crates orcrates for shipping poultry and similar purposes which when emptied oftheir contents can be taken apart and the several parts of which theyare composed secured together in a compact form or package and returnedto the shipper.

The construction of our invention is eX- plained by reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a top view. Fig. 2is an end view. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bottom of the crate.Fig. 4 is a side View, and Fig.5 is an end view, ofthe crate as packedfor return shipment. Fig. 6 is a front view of one of the sides of thecrate.

Like part-s are identified by the same reference characters throughoutthe several Views.

The top of the crate consists of a series of longitudinal slats 1 1and-transverse bars 2, which parts are rigidly secured together in theordinary manner. The top is provided with a door -which consists of thecentral board 3 and a rectangular frame surrounding said boardconsisting of the bars 4 4 and-5 5, which board and frame are alsorigidly secured together. Y

G is a fastening-bar which is pivotally secured to the center of theboard 3 by the bolt 7 and hand-nut 8. The respective ends of thefastening-bar 6 are inserted beneath the longitudinal slats 1, while thebars 4 and 5 bear' upon the upper surfaces of the longitudinal slats 1and transverse bars 2, as shown in Fig. 1. When the door, with itsrectangular frame, has been thus placed inthe top of the crate, it issecurely locked in .place 'by turning down the hand-nut 8 on the bolt 7.

The bottom of the crate consists simply of a plain board 9 andtransverse bars 10. The respective sides are alike. Each side consistsof the series of longitudidal slats 1l and ofthe sides.

the transverse bars 12. The respective ends are alike and consist of thelongitudinal slats 13 and the transverse bars 14, which are rigidlysecured together. When the said several described parts comprising theinclosing walls of the crate have been thus formed, they are securedtogether, as shown in Fig. 2, by the angle-irons15 15 and 16 16 andbinding-rods 17 17 ,two binding-rods only in connection with saidangle-irons being necessary to hold the entire crate together. Thefourangle-irons 15 are rigidly secured by bolts or screws to therespective-corners of the top, (shownin Fig. 1,) while the four similarangle-irons 16 are secured to the lower edges of the respective sides,as shown in Fig. 6, by screws 19.

Thus it will be obvious that when the top, which we will refer to as A,Fig. 2, has been -secured to the two sides, which we will refer to as BB, Fig. 2, the lower arms of said angle-irons 15 engage against theupper edge of the sides B and hold them in place, while the lower armsof the angle-irons 16, which are permanently secured to the sides B,engage beneath the bottom 9 at its four several corners and hold it inplace against the edges When this is done, the bindingrods 17 areinserted through the angle-irons 15 and across the respective ends ofthe crate. One end of said rods 17 is provided with an operating ring orbearing 20, while their opposite ends are provided with screw-threads21, which engage inthe screw-threaded apertures 22, formed in the lowerend of the angleirons 15, whereby itis obvious that by turning in saidlrod 20 all of said parts will be bound firmly together, said rodscooperating with said angle-irons to retain them rigidly in place. Therespective end pieces ofthe crate are held in place between thetransverse bars 12 12 of the sides B B. The respective parts of thecrate being thus secured together, the door of the top A is readilyremoved by looseningthe nut 8 on thebolt 7, whereby the crate V may befilled, when said door may be replaced,

as described.

To lend additional strength to the crate, the cover is preferablyprovided near its center with additional angle-irons 23, which aresecured to the cover by the screws 24, and their IOOdownwardly-projecting ends are adapted to engage over the upper edges ofthe respective sides B, whereby said sides are prevented from beingsprung apart.

The poultry having been shipped and removed from the crate, the same istaken apart by rst withdrawing the binding-rods 17 17, when all theparts are readily disengaged from each other and secured together in acompact form or package, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, in which therespective parts are arranged in the relative position to each other asindicated, whereby the four angle-irons or fastening-brackets 15 of thecover are adapted to extend down past the several parts thus boundtogether, their lower ends being brought beneath the transverse bars 10of the bottom 9, when the respective rods 17 are secured in place insaid angle-irons or brackets, thus binding the side and end piecessecurely together between the bottom and top pieces, whereby all of saidparts are held rigidly together in a compact form or package. By thisarrangement the respective angle-irons or fastening-brackets 16 of theside pieces are brought together at the center of the package, and theirupper ends extend through the apertures 25 25, formed in the top of thecover. The .end pieces, which are referred to as C in Figs. 2 and 3, areretained in the package by the angle-irons 23, which extend down pastthe ends of said end pieces, as shown in said Fig. 4. It will now beobvious that the saine angle-irons and binding-rods which are used tohold the respective parts of the crate together when used for shippinghave been constructed and arranged with a view of also being used forholding said parts together when taken apart and packed for returnshipment and that the function they perform in thus holding the packagetogether is of no less importance than that of holding the cratetogether when used for shipping purposes.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a shipping-crate of the class described, the combination of a topmember; a plurality of L-shaped angle-irons having one of their armspermanently secured to the horizontal surface of said top member, andhaving their other arms temporarily secured to the vertical side membersof the crate; an opposing bottom member; two opposing side and twoopposing end members interposed between said top and bottom members; aplurality of L-sliaped angle irons having one of their arms permanentlysecured to the vertical sides of said side members, and their other armstemporarily secured beneath the horizontal surface of the bottom member;a plurality of horizontal binding-rods, communieating between thevertical arms of the opposing angle-irons; and means for securing theends of said binding-rods in their bearings in said angle-irons, as setforth.

2. In a shipping-crate of the class described, the combination of a topmember, comprising series of longitudinal slats and transverse barssecured together; a plurality of L-shaped angle-irons having one oftheir arms permanently secured to the horizontal surface of said topmember, and having their other arms temporarily secured to the verticalside members of the crate; an opposing bottom member; two opposing sideand two opposing end members interposed between said top and bottommembers, said side and end members being respectively composed of seriesof longitudinal slats and transverse hars secured together; a pluralityof L-shaped angle-irons having one of their arms permanently secured tothe vertical sides of said side members, and their other armstemporarily secured beneath the horizontal surface of the bottom member;a plurality of horizontal bindingrods communicating between the verticalarms of the opposing angle-irons; and means for securing the ends ofsaid binding-rods in their bearings in said angle-irons, substantiallyas and for the purpose specified.

3. In a shipping-crate of the class described, the combination of a topmember, a removable door located in said top member; means for lockingsaid door in its closed position, said top member comprising a series oflongitudinal slats and transverse bars secured together;fastening-brackets secured to said top member; an opposing bottommember; two side pieces respectively comprising longitudinal slats andtransverse bars connected together, said side pieces being interposedbetween the sides -of said top and bottom members; angle-irons orfastening-brackets secured to the respective side pieces, and adapted toengage beneath the bottom pieces; end pieces located between therespective IOO ends of the side pieces; and transverse binding-rodshaving unthreaded bearings at one end, and threaded bearings at theiropposite ends in the fastening-brackets of said top member; saidfastening-brackets and binding-rods being respectively so located inrelation to each other and the several parts of the crate, that they areadapted to be used for binding the respective parts together, bot-h as acrate and as a package, all substantially as and for the purposespecified.

4. In a shipping-crate of the class described the combination of a topmember, composed of series of longitudinal slats and transverse barssecured together; a rectangular aperture centrally located in saidtopmember; a rectangular frame surrounding said aperture; a rectangulardoor rigidly secured to said frame; a transverse fastening-bar centrallysecured to said door by a binding-bolt and hand-nut, said rectangularframe being adapted to engage on the upper surface of In testimonywhereof We affix our signasaid longitudinal slats, and said transversetures in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

fastening-bar being adapted to engage be- CARL KEMPF. Death the innersurface of said top member; EUGEN BAUR. said parts being adapted to berigidly secured CARL BAUR. together by turning down the hand-nut onWitnesses:

said bolt, all substantially as and for the pur- I JAS. B. ERWIN,

pose specified. l C. L. ROESCH.

